Moonlight Blossom
by LunarFlare03
Summary: What if Sakura Haruno isn't who she thinks she is? What if for some odd reason her soul was reincarnated from another? And what if that other person just happened to be the spirit of the moon? It Begins with Death. "I don't want to be the guardian of the moon! I want to be just plain Sakura Haruno again!"
1. Chapter 1

Key:

"talking"

_thinking_

**kyuubi**_  
_

It Begins with Death

She was panting, exhausted, as she leaped from branch to branch desperately trying to shake her unknown assailant. She had noticed him following her, observing her every move right after she had finished her mission to heal the leader of a small village.

It was a simple mission really, all she did was heal the man of a petty disease, not even a fatal disease, it was something any proper medical ninja could have done, but the oaf requested her specifically. I guess when you miraculously heal the kazekage's brother after being poisoned by Sasori of the Akatsuki you become famous enough to be requested specifically by the rich for the dumbest reasons. And now to top it off, she was being chased through the forest by a total stranger. Not to mention this stranger, whoever he was, was most likely a very strong ninja, or possibly a professional assassin.

Sakura bit down lightly on her lower lip, she was getting tired, and her follower wasn't easy to lose, he had managed to dispel all the genjutsu she weaved and she couldn't track him at all. He made no noise, and he concealed his chakra perfectly, he was like a ghost, the only reason Sakura even noticed him and realized he was following her was that he made no effort to conceal himself visually. She could literally see him chasing after her, gaining on her. Sakura turned her head slightly and glanced back expecting to she her pursuer close behind like numerous times before. Sakura was surprised with what she saw this time. He was gone.

She stopped in her tracks on the branch her legs had just reached. "What the hell." He just vanished, did she lose him? _Thank kami_. She was also only a few miles from her destination, Konohagakure, home, she was almost there. She turned to continue her journey, but was stopped immediately by what faced her, or rather who faced her. There he was.

He was standing on a branch only four trees away. "Shit". As if in response to her voice, he suddenly launched himself at her. Reflexively, Sakura jumped back from her branch to the ground behind her and looked up to see the man above her in the exact location she had previously occupied. "Well, if it's a fight you want" her words were cut short when she tried to reach in her pack for a kunai, but being unable to, she realized she couldn't move her body. She gasped and saw a grin flash on the man's face. In seconds the man was only a foot in front of her staring her down with gold eyes that appeared to glow in the darkness of the night.

She decide to use the current ongoing awkward silence to take in the man's features, he was tall with pale almost translucent skin, he was wearing a black yukata with a yellow waistband that seemed to match his eyes, he also had long black hair. He was gorgeous! She was surprised at his appearance not so much because he had a striking resemblance to Sasuke, or more likely, to his brother Itachi, but because he didn't have the appearance of a Shinobi. No uniform, no scars, weapon's pouch, not even a weapon, well, except for a decorative katana tied at his waist.

She was about to inquire about his identity, when he spoke. "It's been a long time…" he smiled calmly at her. "What" she was about to protest about the fact that she had never seen this man before in her life when he continued. "Heh, you definitely look different" he chuckled and twirled one of her pink locks. "Let go of me!", " Who are you anyway!" Sakura would have punched him in the gut with a fist full of chakra if she could move, but instead she settled for a hateful glare. "Hm, you're a lot more fiery then I remember, but I guess being raised as a Shinobi will do that to a person" _What? Who is this guy? _"Um, sorry but I think you have the wrong person, I don't know you." Sakura spoke calmly, after all she didn't want to somehow anger the man who had control over her body's movement or lack there of. "There is a distinct difference between not knowing someone and not remembering them" his cold eyes harden, but then became soft once more when he replied "but, that's to be expected because it was in another lifetime" he caressed her cheek with his thumb "Please forgive, but now that I've found you, I have to cut your human life short…" His eyes became sad " It's for your own good and protection." When he finished, it finally struck Sakura as to what he meant, and shiver ran down her spine. She stuttered " C…Cut my life short?" her voice betrayed her fear. In response to her words the man stepped back, his eye became dark, and he unsheathed his katana. " I'll be quick, there will be no pain".

The katana's blade was as black as a starless night. " Wait! Don't!" Sakura struggled and demanded her body to move. Her chakra flared up abnormally as she tried to break free from his invisible grip. Nothing. She squeezed her eyes shut, _Move! I said Move! Hurry up and Move dammit! Why won't you–. _Her thoughts were cut off and her eyes flew open in response to an odd pressure on her chest. She looked down to where she felt the pressure in horror, only to see that the dark sword had pierced her heart and exited through her back. He was right, there was no time for pain, her vision quickly darkened around the edges, and her body soon became numb, and her mind sleepy. She hadn't even noticed that the strange jutsu or whatever the invisible grip on her body was had vanished and the man had gently lowered her body to the ground. She was on her side, sword still in her body like a skewer, she gave her killer a final glance only to find silent tears flowing from his face. _Tears? He's crying? Maybe he really is crazy… _but for some reason his crying face seemed to shake her soul and she felt sadness for the man who had just stabbed her in the heart. _Good bye everyone,_ the faces of her friends, teammates, sensei, and family seemed to flash briefly before her eyes. A single tear fell down her cheek, then her vision shifted to black.


	2. Chapter 2

key:

"talking"

_thinking_

**kyuubi**_  
_

Loss of a Teammate

The three men raced back to Konohagakure after successfully completing their mission, it had been a B rank mission, easy, especially considering the members of their team. Kakashi Hatake, a jonin level ninja who was the leader of the team, also known as the deadly Copy Ninja. Sai, an Anbu ninja whose unique jutsu allows him to give life to his ink creations. And last, but certainly not least, Naruto Uzumaki, only genin in rank, but a disciple of the Legendary Toad Sage Jiraiya and also a Jinchuriki, the host of the infamous nine tailed fox.

The gates of Konoha soon became visible to the three men. They had set out on their mission two days ago, at the same time as their good friend and teammate Sakura Haruno. Now they were home again, and Naruto had no doubt in his mind that Sakura would be there as well, and he couldn't wait to see her. They were out of the forest and landed in front of the entrance to Konoha. Kotetsu quickly looked up from his desk and flinched at the sight of the team. The flinch was immediately noted by Kakashi and Sai. _Something is wrong. _Naruto of course was completely oblivious. "We're back from our mission!" Naruto shouted, carefree as ever. Kotetsu simply nodded at the statement and spoke in a shaky voice "Tsunade wants to see you three straight away".

Kakashi bowed his head slightly and three were off to see the Hokage. They entered the Hokage's office to find Tsunade behind her desk with mountain high stacks of paper work on it, they could barely see the Hokage in her chair with her back facing them as she stared out the window, empty sake bottles littered the floor. _Something is definitely wrong,_ Kakashi couldn't help but think this after observing the dull atmosphere of the village and now even more so because of the Hokage's unusual behavior. "Granny Tsunade! The mission was a complete success!" Naruto grinned as he gave the woman a thumbs up. "G-Good job" she stuttered and then let out a deep sad sigh, her breath hitched before speaking again. " There something I must tell you three…" She stood up from her chair but kept her back facing the shinobi. "It's about… about Sakura" her voice croaked slightly. At the sound of young kunoichi's name Kakashi's heart clenched,"Is-Is she injured?" His voice betrayed his extreme concern. "What!" Naruto shouted, he looked desperately at the woman's back "What happen to Sakura!". Tsunade tensed at the name. "Tell us!" Naruto demanded impatiently. Kakashi put his hand on the boy's shoulder and shook his head slightly. Naruto's face was full of horror. _Was she injured, disabled, missing, had she been kidnaped? _Naruto mind raced through different scenarios, but nothing could have prepared him for what the woman said next.

"She's… Sakura is dead." The statement froze the three men standing before the desk. "Wha… What?" Naruto sputtered, but Tsunade quickly cut him off. Her eyes remained fixed as she stared out the window, her hands slowly clenched in to tight fists as she tried to stop the tears forming in her eyes. "Sakura was killed in the line of duty… she had completed her mission and was on her way home… when she died… her" she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "Her body was found just a few miles from konoha" she sobbed. The three ninja in the room, Sakura's very own teammates, felt their hearts shatter in that moment. Sai was surprised by the foreign ache in his chest that threatened to let loose tears from his usually emotionless eyes. Kakashi felt as if the wind was just knocked out of him, he stumbled slightly and he could feel his body becoming cold and numb. Naruto shocked, had fallen to his knees then placed his palms on the cold floor. As his tears poured down his cheeks and splattered on the floor his initial shock quickly turned to anger. "NO! I don't believe you! Sakura can't be dead!" he roared as demonic chakra seemed to fill his veins. Kakashi instinctive gripped Naruto's shoulder, Naruto quickly turned to the man and glared at him, red flashed in his usual serene blue eye. "Shizune" Tsunade spoke before Naruto could respond violently to Kakashi's touch. "Show them to her body" she spoke with no emotion. The three men were in such emotional disarray that they almost didn't notice the women who had walk in to the room, almost. "Follow me" she spoke, sadness stained her voice. Naruto quickly calmed his inner demon and the men followed Shizune to Konoha's hospital.

They walked slowly to the room that possessed Sakura's lifeless body. And at some point in time or another on their short journey to the room, they shared the same thought, _This can't be happening. _Shizune pause quickly before the door to glance behind her and take in the expressions on the faces of the three men. Anxious, and scared. She opened the door and in the back of their minds, the men thought that they didn't want to enter the room, they didn't want to known the truth. But they forced their legs to move and when they entered the room, they immediately wished they hadn't.

She was beautiful as she laid there, her naked body only cover by a white sheet that was placed just above her breasts. Her arms were draped over her body, her hands meeting each other, fingers intertwined. She looked so pale, and her eyes were closed, but above all else she was extremely still. Unnaturally still, too still. It was only when they had moved to hover over the girl that they noticed a small pink cut, intricately sown closed by a small metallic thread, right above her left breast. Over her heart. "Sakura?" Naruto muttered then gulped, he reached across her body and cupped her cheek softly. "Sakura, wake up" he said in a stronger tone. His hand moved to her shoulder, just above her cut, and her shook her lightly. "Wake up, Sakura this isn't funny", the other three people in room did nothing, they just stared at the scene, watching the boy's futile attempts and secretly hoping that the girl would wake up. She didn't. Naruto let go and collapsed on ground, his head bowed to the girl's empty shell, his frame shook slightly as silent tears leaked through his eyes. Sai, couldn't help but wonder how this had happen, he remembered seeing the girl's bright smiling face just a few days ago. He remembered the intense pain in his left cheek from the time she punched him, he remembered the heat from her touch and the fire in her eyes. Now, he looked down at the body laid out before him and couldn't understand how they could possibly be the same person. There was a long silence in the room until Kakashi spoke. He kept his cold gaze on the girl that was once his student, his voice was dark, "Who did it?" The question brought everyone in the room back to their senses and they all turned to a now tense Shizune for the answer.

Shizune would have been shocked at the question, if she had not be told to tell them the answer, by Tsunade, beforehand. She gulped, wondering how the ninja would react to the answer. "W-We don't know" she squeezed eyes shut in anticipation to their reaction. "What?" Naruto asked calmly, but his demonic voice gave away his simmering anger. Quickly, Shizune spoke before he could unleash his full anger, "But we have a clue! T-The weapon, we have the katana… the sword that pierced her heart", she almost bursted into tears at her own words. " Is that all?" Sai vocalized Kakashi's very thoughts. "I'm sorry", Shizune sobbed and Sai gently placed his hand on her back, silently trying to alleviate the poor woman of her sorrow yet not quite knowing how. Shizune attempted to compose herself, and then she continued "Her body and the sword…" she avoided the specifics of where the sword was exactly located. "They were found by some Anbu ninja last night, they couldn't locate the killer's chakra nor any dna at the scene…" she paused grimly then continued "there was no sign of a struggle." _No sign of a struggle? _"What do you mean? No struggle! This is Sakura we're talking about!" Naruto had stood and there was a hint of anger in his voice. "At the scene there were no tracks, no uprooted tree, no upturned rock, no projectile weapons, no nothing, there was just Sakura…" Shizune let her eye drift downwards "just Sakura and the katana sticking out of her chest". The men in the room couldn't believe it. "Actually, Danzo suggests that…" Shizune let loose a subtle growl that surprised the shinobi in the room. She continued "He suggested that Sakura may have taken her own life!"

Shizune was outraged and soon everyone in the room was as well. "What!" Naruto shouted, Kakashi said nothing but his anger was apparent on his face. Even Sai, Danzo's dog, was slightly appalled as he clenched his fists. Shizune quickly tried to distract them from this new predicament "Um, so I was thinking that maybe Kakashi can track the killer with the scent of the sword, maybe?" She motioned them to an item on the nightstand next to where Sakura's body rested. Shizune quickly unwrapped the sword from the cloth that concealed it. She turned towards them, the long sword balanced on her outstretched palms, the men were surprised by the sword. Not only was it beautifully decorated but it's blade was black, but what truly caught the attention of Team 7 were the reddish brown marks on the blade, dried blood, Sakura's blood. Shizune noticed their reactions and explained " We didn't wash the sword because we feared the scent would fade." Kakashi took the katana from the woman's trembling hands " We understand" he spoke, reassuring her. Kakashi with his free hand removed a scroll from his uniform and summoned Pakkun. "What's up Kakashi?" Pakkun asked sensing the serious atmosphere. "I need you to remember this scent" Kakashi crouched down and raised the sword so it was i front of the small dog. Pakkun didn't hesitate, and was already taking in the swords scent. "Hm! It's smells like the pink haired girl" Pakkun looked up to see pain flash across Kakashi's features. Kaskahi bowed his head slightly so the dog was unable to see his unmasked eye. "No, not her scent, the other". Pakkun knew something was wrong, but he just did as he was told. He sniffed at the handle of the katana and paused. "How strange…" his brow wrinkled. Kakashi looked up confused "What is it Pakkun?", Pakkun held Kakashi gaze with his own. "The owner of this scent is not human…", "It smells like… the night sky". "What do you mean!" Naruto butted in. Pakkun turned toward the boy "It's not too humid, but not too dry… I guess it would be the night sky in the spring…" Pakkun closed his eyes, crossed his paws, and nodded "Yes, that's definitely it, the night sky in the spring".

"What? How are we suppose to find a guy that smells like the frickin sky!" Naruto bursted out with annoyance. "Not the sky, the night sky in the spring!" Pakkun corrected. "Ugh, Whatever!" Naruto proceeded moping. Kakashi let out an exasperated sigh,"So is that it, Pakkun? You can't find the owner?", "Kakashi!" the dog immediately brought the ninja's attention back to the form he previously summoned. The dog shined a confident grin at the sliver haired man "It's not spring now, it's fall. It'll be hard, but I can definitely find the guy!"


	3. Chapter 3

key:

"talking"

_thinking_

**kyuubi**

Remembering the Past

She opened her eyes for what seemed like the first time in a very long time. Her eyelids parted and the image that graced her was that of the crescent moon hovering above. She didn't shift her gaze, but felt around with her other senses instead. She was laying on her back, the grass underneath her was covered with shattered leaves. The air smelled like the beginning of fall, and she could hear the breeze whistle lightly through the trees around her. She could sense that she wasn't alone. "Ah, your finally awake", she turned her head in the direction of the voice and found a figure leaning on a tree staring at her gently. _I know that guy, _she gasped quietly, _It's the guy who stabbed me with a katana! The guy who killed me- wait a second! _She shot up at the thought and regretted her decision immediately because the sudden movement made her feel dizzy. She placed a cool hand on her forehead and closed her eyes in hopes that it would stop her head from spinning. "Not so fast, your still getting use to your body" the man had moved and was now crouching down next to her, he placed a supportive hand on her back. "What?" she stared at him, "What have you done to me?"

He sighed, "You still don't remember…" She just stared at the man. "Ah, I know what to do", He exclaimed and reached into his yukata. _A hidden weapon? _She flinched away from the man, he frowned at this and finally pulled out a beautifully decorated silver mirror. Something about how this man before her looked at the beautiful mirror in his hands made her feel sad and nostalgic. "You told me once that looking at your own reflection usually helps in these situations", before she could even reply to that statement the man had turned the mirror so that she could see herself. What she saw almost shocked the hell out of her, and she grabbed the mirror from his hands to get a better look. The person in the mirror seemed just as shocked as she was, only this girl had stunning crystal blue eyes, beautiful pale skin that seemed to glow, and long light silver hair that reminded her of her previous sensei's own hair. She was puzzled at first, but then they hit her, the memories, like a ton of bricks. It felt like the wind had been knocked out her and she fell back on to the soft leaves that littered the grass. She kept her gaze steady on the moon before her. This sudden action frightened and confused the man and he started to panic.

"Usagi! Talk to me!" The man's gold eyes widened frantically as he gazed upon his fallen companion. He let his hand fell to her cheek and she shifted her vision to the man at her side, his face colored with worry. She couldn't help but smile at the funny surprised face he wore "It's okay, I'm fine". He wanted to protest on how she did not look fine, but the sound of her serene voice made him relax. _I remember everything now that my soul is back in it's true form, but for some reason, even though this is not the first time Zen has retrieve my spirit after I've allowed my soul to reincarnate into a human life, I wish I didn't remember… I wish I was still Sakura Haruno. _She closed her eyes and let her mind wander for a while. She knew where her duties lied, but she still couldn't shake the longing to be a certain pink haired kunoichi again back with her friends in Konoha. She missed them. "I'm sorry… for taking you from your human life", she heard him speak as if he could sense her inner turmoil. She at up, this time slower, and touched the man's cheek gently "It's not your fault, you were worried that someone might have taken advantage of my vulnerable state, plus I know you must have had difficult time watching over both the moon and the night sky, Zen". The man smiled at the sound of his name and he placed his hand on hers. He didn't want her to let go, but after a few minutes he let her take her hand back from where it was placed on his cheek. She stood up a little wobbly at first, but the uneasiness faded as her mind quickly remembered how to maneuver. "Well, we should probably go back", Usagi motioned slightly to the moon.

"Um… about that", Zen touched his index fingers together in a sitting position and looked up a her with the face of a child confessing his mischief to his mother. "We kinda can't leave yet… because I sort of, accidentally lost my katana", he laughed nervously. "What? How do you lose such a thing? Do you even have any idea as to where you might have lost it?" she lectured him, "I know where it is!" he stated defensively crossing his arms. "Oh, and where is it?" she enjoyed joking with him, but the joke ended when he replied in a serious tone "It's with your previous body…". "But don't worry! I can get it back easily, you don't even have to come!" He tried lifting the mood. "No, I'll go with you, I wanted to say good bye anyway", she replied. "Are you sure?" he couldn't help but be worried about the girl, he didn't just want to protect her from physical harm, but emotional harm as well. "I'm sure", she reassured him with a genuine smile, and it was true, after all she did want to see Konohagakure once more. Though she couldn't help but wonder if going back would make it harder to let go.

At Konoha (5:00AMish):

"Why can't I go find that monster right now!" Naruto shouted at the Hokage in protest. "First of all, Naruto it's dangerous for you to leave the village right now because the Akatsuki, and the second reason is because… the funeral is today and you of all people should be there to participate!" Tsunade's strong voice weakened at the mention of the young kunoichi's funeral. "Oh" was all Naruto could say in response, he hadn't known that his dear friend and teammate's funeral would be today. "But I'm still-", he began, but was quickly cut off, "You're still going to search for the killer? I knew you would say that. That's why I'm assigning you to mission in order to find the criminal… at least this way you'll be properly supervised. Come here tomorrow morning for the mission details", The man's eyes lit up at her words. "Thank you so much, Granny Tsunade!" I won't let you down!" Naruto smiled and began to exit the office. "Naruto, wait." He turned back to face the Hokage. "Just promise me you'll be careful and that at the first sign of trouble you'll come straight home!" She paused, she couldn't help but feel like a mother, after all she did love the boy like a son, then she continued "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too, so please, promise me you'll definitely come home." Naruto understood and nodded "I promise! I'll definitely come home, believe it!" He grinned brightly at the women, and left. Naruto was almost home when he noticed the sun rising. He paused to watch it as a light breeze ruffled his spiky blonde hair. "Don't worry Sakura, I'll definitely avenge you, believe it", he whispered as if the wind would carry the message to girl's lost soul, where ever it was.

In the forest:

They journeyed to the leaf village through the forest that was slowly illuminated by the sun's early light. They kept silent, until a breeze suddenly flew through the trees and whipped up their hair and Usagi could have sworn she heard the nostalgic words "believe it" as if they were whispered to her by a blonde boy himself. The thought of the energetic boy's frequently used motto was enough to make her smile and soft giggle escaped her lips. "Hm? What's so funny?" Zen questioned her. "Oh nothing, I was just think about how your name doesn't suit you, your too obnoxious" she lied. "Oh yeah? Well, your name suits you too well! Usagi, It just flat out means moon!" Now they were both laughing and joking, and Usagi couldn't help but she realize how Zen resembled Naruto in personality, yet Sasuke in appearance, which only made her laugh that much harder.


	4. Chapter 4

key:

"talking"

_thinking_

_"flash back"_

**kyuubi**

The Funeral and the Truth

By the time they reached Konoha Village it was mid-afternoon and Sakura's funeral was already in session. The two knew better then to enter a ninja village so they settled for climbing one of larger trees around the village wall so they could get a better view of the ongoing funeral without being spotted and apprehended. After all they were now enemies of the leaf village, considering one of them had actually ended the life of the shinobi being celebrated and the other had been the main cause of the girl's death, even if they shared a soul and were once essentially the same being. The day had been so nice and sunny until a few hours ago when dark clouds filled the sky and small rain drops had proceeded to fall from the heavens. It felt surreal to participate in her own funeral, even if she wasn't actually physically participating, she was still there, not dead, but not technically alive ether. _Why does it always rain at funerals, _she couldn't help but share the same thoughts as many others witnessing the funeral, including one melancholy Naruto Uzimaki. Zen sat in front of her protectively pushing her back to conceal her in the leaves of the tree, knowing all to well that her white kimono could be easily be noticed in plain sight. Even with his back to her, Usagi knew he wore a worried expression, he was worried that she would be in emotional turmoil due the funeral, her funeral, that proceeded below. Strangely, Usagi wasn't feeling very emotional, actually she felt quite numb to it all. She watched as her friends payed their respects, and listened as her sensei, the Hokage gave a glorious speech about Sakura's legacy with a face full of tears. It was at the brink of night that the funeral had finally come to an end. _Sakura Haruno is dead, _with that thought she knew she had to let go of her old life, she looked up to sky, the moon was not yet visible but she could feel it there supporting and strengthening her.

When night finally fell over the village, the two shared a glance at the slimmer crescent moon that was now set in the sky. The moon was waning, meaning Usagi's abilities wouldn't even be close to her full potential and to be honest her appearance wasn't exactly suited for stealth missions. Zen decided that it would be safest for her to remain outside the city, undetected, he would go fetch his black katana alone. Usagi wasn't worried about Zen, after all it was night time, he was practically god when he was in his element, and even without it he was still a guardian spirit, the embodiment of the night sky, immortal. But she was also practically immortal, probably more immortal then Hidan of the Akatsuki, and she was never one to sit still. As soon as she could no longer sense Zen she herself entered the village unnoticed, if she concentrated she could make herself invisible to the naked eye. Not just anyone would be able to notice her presence, only those with advanced sight such as a kekkei genkai, or heighten senses could pull off such a feat.

Usagi didn't bother to assist her companion in any way with his mission, she knew better than anyone that he was fine on his own. Instead, she decided to pay a visit to Konohagakure's very own memorial stone. For some odd reason, standing in front of the stone she felt at peace. She glanced over the fallen shinobi's names, she knew Sakura Haruno would be the next name engraved on the rock. The thought of it made her want to cry, but she wasn't quite sure why. She straightened up quickly, _No! You have to put the past behind you! _But she had to admit it was hard to let go of it all. She never had this much trouble with her past human lives, why was this one any different? She snapped out of her deep thoughts the minute she sensed them. It was to late to run, the two men were already just a few meters behind her. "Why'd you stop Kakashi sensei?" Naruto questioned in a slightly confused voice, but the older man just ignored the boy. "Who are you?" She knew he was talking to her, he could she her with his sharingon, not to mention smell her with his dog-like senses. Naruto quickly caught on and when he focused he could sense her as well, not that it really mattered because she quickly dropped the illusion and allowed herself to become visible to the two men. They were surprised by her ghostly appearance, though she never turned to face them. "Who are you?" Kakashi repeated the question even though he knew she had heard him the first time. "I'm a ghost", she lied, her throat felt tight with sadness. "Ghost don't have chakra", he replied calmly. "How would you know?" she questioned him. She was right, he didn't really know for sure, he had never meet a ghost, but his gut told him that this woman before him was no ghost.

"I will keep asking until you answer", he warned sternly. She didn't say anything, he sighed and was about to repeat the question once more, but stopped immediately when the figure turned to face them. She faced them even though she knew that the sight of them would only make leaving them behind forever that much harder, she just couldn't stop herself. The men's eyes widened at the sight of her unearthly beauty, her glowing silver hair floated around her unnaturally and her light blue eyes seemed to pierce their very souls. She couldn't possibly be human. Then it hit him, pakku's words, _"The owner of this scent is not human". _Could this pale apparition be the one who took their Sakura away from them forever. His eyes narrowed at the thought. _Even if she's not the culprit, she may know the identity of true criminal. _Kakashi readied himself to apprehend the suspect, but what faced him caused him to stop dead in his tracks. She couldn't hold it in anymore, it was as if the sight of two of the most important men in her life brought it out of her forcefully, she couldn't hold back the emotions, she couldn't hold back Sakura Haruno. The tears streamed endlessly from her eyes, before she knew it she was sobbing like a new born baby, and not very gracefully I might add. She had put her hands up to cover her hideous crying face, and her embarrassment at the situation. Kakashi and Naruto didn't know what to do about the woman that had been reduced to a crying child.

"Naruto… Kakashi sensei… I missed you guys", she sobbed innocently, oblivious as to what she was saying. _It can't be! She can't be… _Kakashi's thoughts were finished by Naruto's words, "Sa-Sakura?" He questioned hopefully. The girl didn't answer, her massive sobs reduced to light tears, yet she kept her faced buried into the palms of her hands. "Sak-", but before the boy could pursue any further a sharp wind collided with them from behind threatening to knock them off balanced. They steadied themselves quickly and looked up to see that wind had swirled around pale beauty and had transformed into a tall figure whose arms warped around the girl possessively. Usagi tear stricken face looked up at the man who had pulled her into a protective embrace, and she whimpered "Zen", before she fell into a heavy sleep due to exhaustion from the emotional outburst. Zen picked up the fragile girl so that she laid comfortable in his strong arms and then he fixed his cold golden eyes on the men before him. Kakashi quickly took in the man's appearance, but stopped when his gaze fixed upon a certain item featured on the man's attire. "That sword!" Kakashi recognized it immediately. Zen looked down at his weapon then into the man's unmasked eye and spoke angrily. "Yes, I'm the one who stuck a sword into the pretty pink haired kunoichi's heart!" He spoke as if reading Kakshi's mind, and hoped to get a rise out of the shinobi. Surprisingly the explosion of anger bursted from the younger blonde ninja next to him.

"You Bastard!" Naruto practically screamed at the man, letting angry red chakra over take the calm blue chakra that normally flowed through him. The red chakra seemed to spew out of the boy as he let his anger and the demon take over his body. His whisker marks darken, his teeth sharpened into fangs, and red flared from his eyes as his chakra seemed to manifest around him in the form of a fox. Kakashi was immediately distracted from his intense hatred for the man by Naruto's sudden transformation. "Naruto! You have to calm your self!" Kakshi shouted, but his words didn't reach the boy, now filled with pure animosity. Zen recognized the chakra immediately, it belonged to the kyuubi, a demon hell bent on destruction. Zen automatically pulled out his katana ready to shift into his true form and strike down the monster as he let a low hiss escape his lips. However he hesitated in his transformation when heard a soft grunt come from small unconscious girl gripped tightly to his body. He looked to his other hand that held out his unsheathed katana ready to attack and was instantly disgusted with himself and his unsightly desire for battle. He had almost put Usagi in unnecessary danger, Usagi, his eternal companion, his precious moon, the very reason for his existence. He promptly sheathed his weapon, and Naruto took the opportunity to strike with intent to kill. Zen however was too fast and wise to ever be caught off guard so easily and his right hand swiftly seized the demon boy by the throat before he could even land a blow. Naruto fought hard to break from the tall stranger's grip, but he was too strong. The kyuubi's chakra burned his palm, but Zen ignored the pain. He held the boy so that his face was merely inches away from his own. Zen's gold eyes locked on Naruto's own demonic red eyes and suddenly all of the kyuubi's chakra and hate were shoved back deep inside the boy. The forced recession of the kyuubi's chakra was extremely painful and caused the blonde the scream out in agony. Fortunately, the pain had gone as quickly as it came, but the shock still left Naruto unconscious and he hung there silently held up Zen's hand still gripping the boys throat. He should kill the boy, it would be best for everyone, but Zen couldn't do it he knew that Usagi still had strong feelings for the kid and this village and Zen knew for certain that he never wanted to see her cry, like she had moments before, ever again. The sight of it had made him feel like his heart had been ripped to pieces.

He dropped the boy unceremoniously on the ground and exchanged a stare with a frozen wide-eyed copy ninja. Then he realized that he had used the night's air to lock the man in place when he had felt the kyuubi's chakra resonate out of the boy so that he wouldn't interfere with their battle. "I'm sure that you may have already guessed at truth about the connection between your pink haired friend and the woman in my arms. And you are correct in your assumption, they are the same person." Kakashi said nothing, he didn't know how to possible react now that he knew the truth. "But you should know that the pink haired girl is dead, and Usagi is my companion", he stared deeply into Kakashi's soul so that the man would not soon forget his next words, "You will never see her again." He turned away from the silvered haired shinobi, ready to disappear in to the night forever. Kakashi wanted nothing more than to be able to move, to some how stop the man, and fight to break this painful destiny that faced him, but there was nothing he could do. Zen gave him a final glance, "When we're gone you will be able to move, and I suggest you also move on with your life." Kakashi could only glare at the man, "Never." The word surprised Zen, but he simply smiled to himself, he understood how the ninja felt as he looked down at the world in his arms. Then without a word he bounded into the night sky, leaving the men with nothing but a world without Sakura Haruno.


	5. Chapter 5

key:

"talking"

_thinking_

_"flashback"_

**kyuubi**

The Escape and the Encounter

She woke up in the spirit world, a world within the human world that existed to protect and house spirits, demons, and other supernatural creatures that could not exist in the world of the living. She looked around and noticed that she was in a beautifully decorated room, sprawled across a giant soft bed. She couldn't tell where she was at first, but when she looked out the window the answer was clear. The terrain was white and rocky with craters shattered about the land as far as the eye could see, and when she looked up at the eternal night sky she saw the fixed image of the earth located where the moon usually glowed. Usagi was in a bedroom on the highest floor of the Reflection Tower that connected the earth's spirit world with the heavenly body that was the moon. The Reflection Tower is a portal to the earth that was gracefully located on the bottom of the moon and that if you were a spirit on earth and you looked up at the moon you would find yourself face to face with what appeared to be an upside-down castle. However alone, this tower is unable connect with the earth, thus it uses it's twin brother containing the portal to the moon as guide to connect the portals with one another and vice versa. The completely identical tower on the earth is called the Tower of Mirrors and these two towers were named in reference to mirrors and reflections because they appear as mirrored images of each other reflected across the vast space that separated the earth and moon.

Usagi was home, she could feel the energy of the moon strengthening her. The door to bedroom opened softly, "Good, your awake", Zen shined a bright smile at her. "You know it's common courtesy to knock first, what if I had been naked?" She jokingly questioned him. "Then I guess it would have been my lucky day", Zen chuckled and Usagi couldn't help but turn red at the statement. "You look like a tomato!" He laughed, he loved her blushing face, it was just too cute. "Get out you pervert!" she shouted defensively and threw a pillow at his head. Zen easily avoided the pillow and exited the room, Usagi could hear him laughing until he reached the bottom of the stairs.

Usagi spent a month sheltered on the moon, and it was undoubtedly the most boring month of her life. There was nothing to do! She had already read all the books in the grand library and the moon was so barren that there was really no where exciting to go. It was also very lonely because no one occupied the tower but Zen and herself, and sure Zen tried to spend every minute of they day with her, but the truth was that he was so busy flying around the earth as the night sky that he had barely any time to journey to the moon to see her. The real problem here was that Zen had forbid her from ever leaving the safety of the Reflection Tower, but she was not a princess that had to be locked away in a tower, so she decided she would escape!

"Okay, I have to go now, but be a good girl while I'm away", he kissed her forehead, but no kiss could remove the extremely annoyed look on her face. "Look, I know it's been hard staying here all by yourself, but I promise it'll be better soon", he had hoped the comment would bring even the smallest of smiles to her lips, but it didn't. He felt really bad for trapping her here, but it was for her own safety. He sighed, and exited through portal. Usagi waited ten minutes after he had left to do the same. There was no way she was staying cooped up in this place for even a minute longer. Soon enough she found herself exiting the Tower of Mirrors in the human spirit world, she made sure she was unnoticed. Then in no time at all she was out of the spirit world and into the human one. She heaved a sigh of relief when she could feel the sun on her face once more, it felt so good to be back in the brilliant rays of the warm sun. She wandered through a random village for a few hours, invisible to the people there. She had to admit it felt nice to be among the hustle and bustle of a crowd again, it kinda reminded her of home. _No, that's wrong, Konoha is not your home, the moon is, _the thought of the moon being her true home made her feel kind of depressed. Time flied in the village and before she knew it the sun was going down and it was almost night time. _Almost night time? _Now she was in trouble, Zen would sense her immediately as he flew over and then he would imprison her on the moon, possibly forever. She knew she couldn't out fly or out run the man so she had to be clever. _What to do? What to do? _The sight of a stray cat was all it took for an idea to pop into her head. She could hide her spirit in another's body, human bodies were tough to take hold of for long periods of time unless they were dead, but then their bodies would eventually fall apart, Now, she was out of time so she decided to occupy the closest nonhuman body, the cat.

When her spirit enter the cat it caused the feline's appearance to change slightly, the cat's once spotted fur became pure white, and it's big yellow eye's quickly turned the color blue. Thankfully the body did well to hide her immortal soul and she appeared to be a regular cat. Day soon faded into night, and Zen didn't appear out of no where to take her home or laugh at her new appearance so she decided that he must have overlooked her. Usagi quickly became accustomed with her new feline body, and promptly decided that being a cat was actually quite fun. She was enjoying her time walking on a fences and jumping from building to building, her flexibility and stealth reminded her of her ninja days. She was walking down an alley deep in thought about how a tail was great for balance, when she bumped into someone. Words of apology automatically escaped her mouth as a resounding "Meow!". She looked up at the figure and froze in her tracks when her blue eyes reached the red eyes of the man. _Sharingan? It can't be? _She quickly realized her guess as to the man's identity was wrong when the ninja crouched down and she could see his face more clearly. _Itachi Uchiha, _she was in deep trouble now.

Itachi normally didn't concern himself with stray cats, or any animals for that matter, but the one in front of him had a unique chakra, not that of a mere animal, but also not that of a human either. What was this white cat? He just stared at the animal, he could sense it's fear, but the cat had not run from him. "What are you doing Itachi?" A deep voiced reached his ears and he knew automatically that it belonged to his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki. "This cat has a unique chakra", Itachi's words make Usagi shiver. _Does he know? _her thoughts were cut off by a certain fish man's booming laughter. "Ha ha, I didn't know you were the cat type, Itachi!" Itachi looked away from the strange cat to glare at his companion. Usagi instantly seized the moment to high tail it out of there. Unfortunately, Itachi was the faster of the two and had grabbed her before she had even run two feet. He held her up by the skin on her back and her long body dangled in front of him. _I am not going to allow myself to be manhandled by one of my least favorite members of the Akatsuki, not today! _Her sudden retaliation surprised Itachi, she caught him off guard and was able to land a seriously large scratch on Itachi's left cheek. Even in his surprised state, Itachi didn't let go of the creature that was now hissing and struggling in his grip. The spontaneous attack by the cat did not only surprise itachi, but Kisame as well and now looking at Itachi's bleeding cheek he could help but think, _that cat is definitely gonna die. _

Kisame was right, Itachi did not take well to being made a fool of, especially by an insignificant feline. Without a moments notice he fiercely hurled the stray against the one of the alley's wall. Usagi's side exploded with pain instantly when the cat's body made contact with the stone wall. The shooting pain in her side causing a throbbing ache in her head along with the feeling of overwhelming nausea. Kisame couldn't help but feel pity for the foolish creature, though he knew he would never lift a finger to help such a lowly being._ This body is going to die, I should just save myself from suffering and leave now, after all in this body I'm just a helpless cat_. She glanced at her attacker Itachi Uchiha, he looked down on her just like Sasuke had when she was human. _No! I'm not helpless! _Sakura's fire shined through Usagi's mature pacifist way of thinking.

She may be occupying the body of a cat, and her bones may be broken, but her spirit would never break so easily! The white cat lifted it's self from the pavement and stood despite the searing pain shooting through it's body to face two very surprised Akatsuki members. The moon was only half full, but it was enough for her next plan of action. She knew using the moon's radiant energy, would give her away to Zen, but she didn't care, she wasn't going down without a fight. She gathered her chakra, aided by the moon, so that it filled and overflowed out of the cat's small frame. Itachi could see the animal's chakra rise and leak out of it's body with his Sharingan, _How can this be happening? _Kisame could also sense the swelling chakra in the creature before them. _Now! _She lounged at the Uchiha who reflexively launched a kunai at his small opponent. The perfectly aimed projectile weapon did not miss, but rather pass through the feline's form. Itachi, stunned at the cat's ability, was caught off guard once again as the cat headbutted him in gut. At the moment of impact, Usagi released all the chakra she had built up in her body causing the man to catapult backwards through a total of six buildings. Usagi's borrowed body collapsed at extreme exertion of energy and she strained herself to look up in order to admire her handiwork. Then everything went black.

In the Tower of Mirrors:

Zen was just about to enter the portal in the Tower of Mirrors to reunite with his precious moon when he felt it. He sensed a slow build up of energy that could only belong to one person, _Usagi! _He soared toward the increasing energy. She had come to earth and defied his wishes, she was in a heap of trouble! A sudden release of the moon's energy froze him and then it was gone. He felt the moon's power extinguish, gone. She was… gone? _It can't be! _Her presence had complete disappeared from the world. His mind raced frantically, _What happened? What happen to her? _Fear overwhelmed the man. "USAGI!


	6. Chapter 6

key:

"talking"

_thinking_

_"flashback"_

**kyuubi**

The Akatsuki's New Pet

Usagi woke up not knowing what to expect. When she regained consciousness she didn't know where she was or what had happened to her while she was passed out, the only thing she knew for sure was that her body hurt like hell, which meant she was still a cat. Without causing any unnecessary strain on her body she looked around the room in hopes that it would at least give her a clue to where she was. She had been placed on the edge of an ordinary bed, the bed's sheets were in slight disarray which meant someone had recently slept in them. The room had a two wooden nightstands, each with a normal boring lamp placed on it, at either side of the bed. From what she could see the room was ordinarily furnished, there was a wardrobe, an armchair with a side table and a floor lamp, probably for reading, and then there was a dresser with a large mirror hanging above it. From looking in the mirror she could tell that she looked like a mess, she was dirty and wrapped almost completely in bandages, like a mummy. She couldn't see any details in the room because there were no windows, and only one lamp placed on one of the two nightstands was on. _No windows? Does that mean I'm underground? _Usagi was done assessing the room, so she decided to assess herself next, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the flow of her chakra. _Hm… 4 broken ribs, 2 cracked, and some internal bleeding. Good thing no important organs were punctured… _She focused and moved her chakra in order to heal herself, she didn't have a lot of chakra to spare so she didn't bother numbing her nerves so every time she snapped a rib back into place she flinched in pain. She fixed the four broken ribs and the internal bleeding, but she decide to let the other injuries heal on their own because she didn't want to risk chakra depletion. She had been so fixated on her own medical jutsu that she hadn't noticed that someone had walked into the room and had been silently observing her. She looked up to see a dark figure staring at her through Sharingan eyes. She didn't mistake his identity this time, she knew without a doubt that she was in the presence of Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi could clearly see that the animal was using medical jutsu to heal it wounds with his Sharingan, but what he really wanted to know was how a insignificant animal could have such excellent chakra control and vast knowledge of jutsu. It was so strange, but the biggest question was why had he not killed the animal after it had humiliated him? Why did he take the animal with him to the Akatsuki headquarters and why had he tended to the animals wounds? He just didn't understand. Was it curiosity? No. Did he think he could find a use for the cat? As extraordinary as the cat's abilities were, he knew he had no need for them. Then why? He thoughts stopped when the cat turned to stare at him with it's piercing crystal blue eyes. They stared at each other silently for a long time, until a large grumble escaped from the cat's stomach. Itachi tried hard to suppress his amusement, but a small smile escaped his lips. The smile disappeared before Usagi could think twice about it. _Did Itachi of the Akatsuki just smile? _Usagi couldn't help but wonder if what she saw was just a hallucination. "Follow me." Itachi's words were emotionless as he exited the room and walked toward the kitchen leaving the door open so that the animal could follow and Usagi did just that.

"And that's the whole story!" Kisame finished summarizing the previous events as he looked up to see the wide eyed Akatsuki members, when Itachi entered the room. Everyone in the room couldn't help but stare at the Uchiha followed by a heavily bandaged white cat. "Itachi! I heard you got your ass kicked by a fuckin' cat, is that true?" Hidan laughed hysterically. Itachi said nothing, but he shot a deadly glare at his partner before walking to the refrigerator. Usagi just stood at the entrance of the room observing the other Akatsuki members. There were seven Akatsuki members in the living room/dinning room, including Itachi. Kisame sat in the living room area in an armchair, the silver haired man who had recently spoke was on the couch sitting next to a silent, tan man whose face was partially hidden by a cloth. A man who resembled a venus fly trap leaned apathetically against the wall. In the dining room area a blonde girly looking man sat at the table, she was thinking about how the man's appearance reminded her of Ino when her attention shifted immediately to an energetic man wearing an orange mask that was now running toward her, "Kitty!" She dodged quickly before he could grab her and he ran straight into the door. "Oowie…" the masked man whined and rubbed his mask as if it would alleviate the pain in his face. All eyes were on her.

The ongoing awkward moment was broken when Itachi spoke, "Here." He placed a bowl full of milk on the floor next to the chair in dining room that he now occupied. Usagi didn't hesitate to leave living area and the strange people in it. She could still feel the men's stares as she licked the milk from the bowl. "So your keeping the cat, Itachi?" Kisame asked and was only answered by a small "Hn". "Does the Akatsuki even allow fuckin' pets?" Hidan couldn't help, but question. Usagi wondered if the man could even finish a sentence without cursing. "Why not? We already have one pet, yeah", Deidara motioned to Tobi. "Tobi's not a pet! Tobi is a good boy!" Tobi stated defensively. Hidan laughed at the comment. "We should just sell the cat if it's abilities are as good as Kisame says", The masked man spoke and stared at Usagi with greedy eyes. She and everyone in the room was surprised when Itachi gave a stern "No.", "Tobi wants to keep the kitty too!" Tobi said cheerfully. "I wanna see the fuckin' bitch fight!" Hidan's voice sounded with excitement. "Bitch is the term for a female dog, not a cat, Moron", Deidara commented lazily. Hidan did not take well to being called stupid, "Ya wanna fight me, blonde bitch!" Hidan stood and faced Deidara who was now red with anger. "Fine, let's take this outside!" Deidara also stood. "It's a female cat." Everyone turned to the plant man that spoke, though no one bothered to ask how he knew the gender of the animal, though Usagi felt strangely violated. "Ha! So it is a bitch!" No one bothered to comment on Hidan stupidity, after all it was safest not to.

_What a strange group, _Usagi couldn't help but think as she finished her milk. The room had gone back to private conversations and the atmosphere wasn't so tense anymore, so Usagi decided to rip off her bandages using her teeth and claws. After all, She didn't need them and they were bothering her. Itachi had noticed her futile attempts and he wordlessly picked her up and placed her on his lap. He proceeded untying and unwrapping her bandages as everyone watched silently. When Usagi was free from her bindings she couldn't help but stretch happily and think that maybe Itachi wasn't such a bad guy after all. Itachi just stared at the now happy creature sitting on his lap. He couldn't help but wonder why he cared for the creature enough to worry about her comfort. He let his hand drift to her head and he started petting her soft fur casually. Usagi was shocked when Itachi started petting her, but her body responded habitually and she purred with pleasure. Purred with pleasure? She was shocked and embarrassed by the thought, but her thoughts quickly faded from her mind and she drifted into a pleasant sleep. Itachi was surprised by the animals sudden purr of delight, but he decided he liked the noise as the warm shape hummed warmly on his lap. After ten minutes he noticed that the feline was asleep. He also noticed that everyone in the room had their eyes fixated on him. He shot them an "I'll kill you if you keep staring" glare and they instantly averted their eyes.

The ninja left the room one by one as time passed and after two hours everyone was gone. He made sure no one was near when he allowed himself to stare down at the beautiful white cat sleeping peacefully on his lap and smile. Yes, Itachi Uchiha smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

key:

"talking"

_thinking_

_"flashback"_

**nonhuman**

The Sealing of the Three Tailed Beast

After spending about two weeks with the Akatsuki, as there pet cat, Usagi felt close to the members of the group, well, the members she knew. Not once had she come in to contact with the Akatsuki leader, or a certain female member she had heard about. Usagi figured if she had met them she probably would have met them together because apparently the female member was the leader's "bitch" as Hidan would put it, which Usagi figured meant they were dating or something along those lines. The Akatsuki members slowly but surely got use to having the white cat around. Deidara and Hidan would talk to her, either about art, gossip, or much to her dismay, religion, even though she would only reply with a "Meow" to their words at most. Itachi and Kisame would always pick her up and place her on their laps or pet her casually when ever she was near. Usagi was actually surprised to notice that Itachi didn't like to share, he would be very possessive of her when he was in the room, this thought always made Usagi smile, not that anyone could really tell with her being a cat and all. She didn't really befriend Zetsu because he always seemed to stare at her like she was food and she went out of her way to avoid him like the plague. Surprising, even Kakuzu warmed up to her and he would scruff up the fur on her head every now and then. Tobi was so childish he took to her almost immediately, he would squeeze her in his iron bear hugs, toss her in the air, and follow her around on all fours while meowing loudly. Usagi couldn't help but find the ninja extremely annoying, but who could stay mad at that face or rather that obnoxiously colored mask?

Every now and then the Akatsuki members would leave for missions. Usagi couldn't help but wonder why when Hidan and Kakuzu came back from their missions, Hidan usually came back in pieces. Itachi would normally handle feeding her and providing her with a place to sleep, but when Itachi and Kisame left on missions, Deidara would be in charge of taking care of her and keeping her out of trouble till they got back. One day Deidara and Tobi left on a mission, when they came back five days later the atmosphere in the Akatsuki headquarters became tense and everyone had a serious expression on their face. The day they came back, Itachi made a makeshift leash for his pet which was basically tying the cat to one of his bed posts using rope. He made sure she had all the food and water she could possible eat and drink in her reach and he left her with a stern warning, "Stay here, I'll be back in three days", then he up and left the room, locking the door behind him. _Something's up, _the Uchiha that had claimed her as his pet usually never left her alone for any reason, but she knew it was better to do as he said, not to mention safer. She stayed in the room for a full two days but then, like always, she became bored. It was easy to get out of her leash and past the locked door considering she knew how to faze through objects at will. She explored the headquarters and noticed that it's members were no where to be seen. _They aren't gone…, _she noticed their chakra's present beneath her. _They're underground? _She took the stairs down to meet them, and realized that she felt another chakra present, a strong and familiar one. _Naruto! _She panicked, _It can't be! _She reach a massive two door entry way and realized the the chakra signature did not belong to her good friend, but it did belong to another jinchuuriki. _They preforming a sealing ritual. _

_I have to stop them, _Usagi decided. She wanted to protect Konoha and the jinchuuriki, but above all else she wanted to protect Naruto. In her past life as Sakura Haruno, Naruto had always been her pillar of support, her light at the end of the tunnel, her bright shining sun. She knew that even now, even as Usagi, the guardian and protector of the moon, she would support and protect her bright ray of hope, Naruto Uzimaki, even at the cost of her own life. _What am I going to do? _She was scared. She could barely take down one Akatsuki member with help, how was she going to get past all of them? _Maybe I should just take this opportunity to run? No, I have to get inside! I need to know what the Akatsuki's plans are and put a stop to them. _She gathered herself and let her senses reach out. She took notice that the moon was full, she was at her strongest. It's now or never, she concentrated her chakra and allowed her feline body to faze through the door. What she faced, stunned her, the room held what appeared to be a giant statue of some sort, it looked like a monster and sent shivers up and down Usagi's spine. The monster was so large that only it's head, shoulders, and hands were visible in the room. It's hands were shackled and standing on top of each of it's finger tips was a Akatsuki member. They didn't seem to notice her, but if they did they weren't bothered by her presence or maybe they were just too busy to do anything about it. They were completely concentrated on what lay before them, or rather who lay before them.

A boy, he was rather young with a scar on his left cheek, his body was lifted from the ground by the massive blue chakra that contained him. Red chakra leaked out of his eyes and mouth that were now twisted in agony, the demonic chakra was being pulled into the mouth of the monster. When Usagi vision and thoughts were drawn back to the monster's face she froze. The monster had nine eyes, but only two were wide open while a third eye was partially open. She noticed all three of the open eyes stared down at her. **Who are you? **The voice seemed to come from every direction and no direction at the same time. Usagi also noticed that none of the ninja present in the room could hear it, the voice spoke to her and her alone. "Who said that?" she couldn't help but ask even though she knew the answer, but the question escaped her mouth as nothing more than a confused "Meow?". If the Akatsuki members hadn't noticed her before they did now, they didn't move from their position but they glared daggers at her in hopes that she would take a hint and leave immediately. Usagi didn't know what to do, but her thoughts stopped short when she heard the voice once more. **You are not what you appear to be, who are you? Show me your true form. **She looked back at the form that the inhuman voice belonged to and it stared back at her with it's three open eyes. Usagi made no motion to move or answer the statue-like monster. It's three eyes glowed with anger at Usagi's lack of response. **If you won't willingly show me, then I will force you to show me your true form. **Before Usagi could even contemplate the meaning of the creatures words, a dragon formed from chakra escaped from the monsters mouth and flew toward it's target, the white cat that seemed juxtaposed in the dark room. This sudden manifestation chakra surprised the Akatsuki members and they had to regain their focus quickly in order to not break the current jutsu. Usagi couldn't help but notice the worry that flashed in Itachi's eyes, as she leaped to dodge the dragon's attack. Unfortunately, the dragon was quicker then she had anticipated and it turned in mid-attack to strike the cat who had just land from her previous dodge. The chakra dragon engulfed her and she could feel her spirit being forced from the cat's body along with the cat's own soul. She couldn't fight it and she was immediately expelled from the cat's body. She felt sore as she laid on the cold floor and she sat up slowly just in time to see the cat's soul disappear forever from the human realm. She look at the cat's now dead body in front of her and couldn't help but feel sorry for being the cause of it's death. She would have sent up a quick prayer for the fallen feline, but she had more pressing matters to attend to. She forced herself to stand and take in the completely shocked faces of the Akatsuki members before her, the sight would have made her laugh if she wasn't in such a serious situation. She was in trouble now.

**You're beautiful. **Her attention snapped back to the creature, whose three eyes never left her form. She didn't know how to respond to such a statement especially considering who it was coming from. **The powers that now reside within me seem to respond to your presence. **"The tailed beasts, why?" Usagi questioned the death statue. Her words brought the Akatsuki members attention to the owner of the shackled hands they stood on and they noticed the statue's three open eyes stared directly at the women they had recently been unable to look away from themselves. _They are speaking to each other? _The wavering silhouette of the Ataksuki leader shared the same thought as the mysterious man that hid his face behind an orange mask that resembled a lollipop with only one eye hole. **Yes, the tailed beasts within me feel a kinship toward you because your power stems from the same source of power that they were originally created from.** Usagi thought about the creature's words and she knew immediately what he meant. She knew what they had in common, she drew her powers from the moon which was a prison for a certain being and the tailed beast were all once a part of that same being. "The ten tailed beast", the words escaped her mouth unconsciously. These words drew the immediate attention of all the Akatsuki members, but none more so than the masked man who went by the name Tobi. **You should get out of here, the sealing ritual will be complete in just a few minutes. **She nodded in agreement after all once the sealing of the tailed beast was complete the Akatsuki members would be able to move and then she would be in big trouble. She was about to leave, but she hesitated to glance at the jinchuuriki boy. The statue noticed this and spoke, **It's too late for him, go. **She looked from the boy to the death statue and noticed the statue's third eye was almost completely open, so without another word she bounded upward toward the sky, fazing through all the obstacles that separated the her from it. At her action the Akatsuki members flinched caught between their longing to pursue the beautiful woman, each for their own separate reasons, and their duty to finish the sealing jutsu. The man named Tobi had to refrain from cursing out with anger at this realization. Although each ninja in the room had a separate reason to want to chase after and obtain the unearthly beauty, they all had the same question on their mind. _Who is she?_

Usagi was instantly relieved when she reach fresh air again, but she even though she was free she did not hesitate to put as much distance as she could between her and the Akatsuki headquarters. She probably flew until she was on the other side on the world, she definitely flew until she was almost too tired to stand. She collapse on the cool grass, and let the brilliant rays of the sun warm her body. _Where am I? _She wondered as she let her eyes wonder taking in the features of her current scenery. She hadn't exactly been paying attention to where she was flying and what she saw didn't give her so much as a clue to where she was. She made sure to suppress her chakra just in case, she knew Zen would find her with out any problems once it became night time. Usagi sighed and let herself wonder about the previous events she had been through. _What's the Akatsuki's goal? How do I stop them? _but the question she currently wanted the answer to was, _why did that statue thing help me? _She sat up when she sensed four chakra signatures coming her way. She groaned, knowing she was too tired to do anything about it, she could only hope that they were friendly or more likely that it would be night time soon. As the chakra's came closer she recognized one of them. _Sasuke? _Her eyes widen and she looked to her left to see four figures emerge from the bushes and the first one to step in the light was in fact Sasuke Uchiha. _What the hell?_


	8. Chapter 8

key:

"talking"

'jutsu'

_thinking_

_"flashback"_

**nonhuman**

Sasuke and the Night Sky

Sasuke and team hebi were currently on their way to a village that had reported sightings of two Akatsuki members. Sasuke wanted nothing more than to track down his brother and exact his revenge, but even finding one of any of the Akatsuki members was like finding a needle in a haystack. They were just a few miles from the small village when he sensed a very strange and subtle chakra signature, clearly the ninja who owned this chakra was trying to conceal themselves, but they obviously weren't doing a very good job. Sasuke had to admit the strange chakra intrigued him, _a missing ninja? _He was close to his target now, he exited through some bushes to meet the owner of the mysterious chakra and was surprised by who it belonged to. She sat in the middle of the clearing barely six yards away, she was pale with long silver, almost white hair that was occasionally lifted by the breeze. She was wearing a casual midnight blue kimono the contrast greatly with her white skin, by what really caught the Uchiha's attention were her eyes, her icy blue stare seemed to pierce his very soul. "Who are you?" He asked calmly, trying to hid his eager anticipation for her answer.

Now face to face with her former teammate and her ex-crush, Usagi couldn't help but think she was one of the unluckiest people in the world. _First I died, then I participated in my own funeral, then Zen locked me up, after that I became the Akatsuki's pet, and now I meet Sasuke Uchiha, the bastard that broke my heart. _She was so busy complaining in her mind that didn't even hear the Uchiha's question. The woman's lack of response to his question made him angry and he was about to lose his cool when a certain annoying fan girl latched on to his arm. "Sasuke, don't run off without me!" Karin complained and nuzzled her face against the dark haired boy's shoulder, making sure to press her breasts up against him in the process. The two other members of exited the bushes and walked up behind them. Suigetsu's eyes widened immediately when he caught sight of Usagi, "What a babe!" He whistled at her. Karin pulled her eyes forcefully away from Sasuke to see who the white haired swordsman was fussing about, her face instantly twisted in disgust when she laid her eyes on the silver haired beauty. Knowing he was in the presence of his team, Sasuke automatically regained his composure, "Who are you?" he asked for a second time, this time with more authority in his voice.

Usagi had no idea what do in her current situation, she stood up to face them and was about to introduce herself when her attention was instantly pulled away from the ninja group and was forced toward the sky. The sun hadn't even gone down yet, but she could feel he was coming. Sasuke was surprised when the woman's head suddenly snapped up to gaze a the sky to his left, and he followed her gaze. The three other member of team hebi copied Sasuke's motion and were confused because they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary in that direction. Sasuke activated his Sharingon to get a better look, but he couldn't pinpoint what the woman was looking at, until it was upon them. In a flash and seemingly out of no where a sudden rush of wind hit them. The wind seemed to take shape and warp around the silver haired woman. When the wind took the form of a giant black dragon, Sasuke couldn't help but convey his feelings of being shocked on his usually emotionless face.

The black dragon's long body curled around Usagi like a labyrinth, it's head held high above her glaring down at her with it's fierce golden stare. The dragon's scales suddenly fluttered off of it's body as what appeared to be black butterflies. The cloud of butterflies flew off and seemed to fade into the now darkened sky and all that was left in the dragon's place was a man. "Zen-" Her whisper was cut off by an intense force that struck her, knocking her to the ground and leaving a painful stinging sensation on her left cheek. Tears freed themselves from her eyes due to the sudden slap, and she merely looked up at the man whose eyes were also filled with tears, but he would not allow them to fall. "Sorry…" she whispered automatically at the sight of her companion's eyes stained with sadness and worry. He soften instantly at the sight of her tear stricken face and the sound of her soft apology. Then without any delay, he hoisted her up gently for the ground and pulled her into a tight embrace. Usagi felt completely secure once her body was encircled by Zen protective arms, she felt safe. In the warmth of his hug she allowed her alert mind and tired body to finally rest, and once again in the refuge of Zen's embrace she drifted into a deep sleep.

Zen instantly tensed when he felt Usagi's body go limp in his arms. He automatically unwrapped her from his hold to see what was wrong. Still holding her up, he inspected the tired features of her sleeping face. He couldn't help but feel awful when he also noticed the unusual pink tone of her left cheek from where he struck her. _I shouldn't have slapped her, after all I don't know what she's been through in the past few weeks, _he thought as he allowed his thumb to softly caress the pink mark on her cheek. The group of ninja had no idea of what to make of the dramatic scene that just played out before them. Sasuke just stared and the man's back, the sight of it was so familiar it made his blood boil. "Itachi?" He couldn't help, but question the almost identical back, even though he knew that the man was not his brother. The boy's voice brought Zen's wandering mind back to reality and her adjusted Usagi's position in his arms so that he was holding her like a bride, he turned to look at the boy.

Sasuke froze at the sight of the man's intense golden eyes, "That's your brother?" Karin blushed at the sight of the devastatingly handsome man. "No", Sasuke answered her, his eyes narrowed at how much the man resembled his brother. "Itachi...?" The name didn't ring any bells for Zen, but then it hit him, "He's a member of the Uchiha clan isn't he?" Sasuke eyes widened at the stranger's question, "Yes, do you know him?" Sasuke demanded that the man answer him. "No, I don't", Zen answered clamly, Sasuke hid his disappointment at the man's answer. "But there is a reason I remind you of him, I'm guessing it's because my appearance is modeled after the founder of the Uchiha clan", Zen turned away from the boy. "Wait, What?" Sasuke asked frantically, but the two strangers were already gone, they had disappeared in the night sky. Leaving behind a very confused, very frazzled Sasuke Uchiha.


	9. Chapter 9

key:

"talking"

'jutsu'

_thinking_

_"flashback"_

**nonhuman**

Going Back to the Akatsuki

"Let me see if I got this right… You ran away, became a cat, were adopted by criminal ninja, witnessed a tail beast get sealed into a monster, and escaped after revealing your true form to said criminals." Zen was anything but happy about the turn of events cause by his partner's disobedience.

"I didn't exactly plan for this to happen you know?" Usagi pouted cutely at her fellow deity who was now rubbing his temples as if relieving a large migraine. Her words only seemed to infuriated the man more.

"If you had stayed put in the reflection tower like I ask you to this wouldn't have happened!" The dark haired man practically barked at his female counterpart.

"I don't regret what happened." Zen straightened up and glared down a the girl menacingly in response. Usagi however was unfazed by his intimidation and swelling anger, she spoke the truth.

"I'm not some bird to be locked in a cage, and you aren't the boss of me. We are equals. I don't need your protection, I can take care of myself." She spoke calmly, hoping he would understand and stop being so overprotective. He didn't. Zen just turned away from the beautiful woman in frustration.

"Zen." Her voice soothed his stressed mind and when he felt her warm touch on his shoulder his body felt instant comfort and he let loose a deep sigh. For moment nothing happened and the two just stood there unmoved from their current position. Zen half wanted to stay there, warmed by Usagi's light touch, but he forced himself to turn and face the goddess who's crystal blue eyes instantly locked with his own. Her eyes clearly conveyed her feelings of anxiety, regret, but most of all determination.

"I understand." Zen mumbled and frowned, but Usagi heard it all the same and her anxiety quickly dissipated to reveal a beautiful warm smile that could have melted the heart of the most evil of creatures. Unfortunately, her smile quickly disappeared and her eyes became grim thinking of the previous events that unfolded.

"What's wrong?" A worried voice drew her attention back to Zen's sharp golden eyes filled with concern.

"The tailed beasts, we have to protect them and stop the Akatsuki's plan." She was concerned for Naruto's well being and all, but she wasn't particularly referring to her blonde friend when she said those words. She was created to protect to moon, which was a prison made to seal away the body of the deadly ten tailed beast. It was her responsibility to stop the Akatsuki in there plans, especially if they were to resurrect the ten tailed demon. She wouldn't allow the monster to roam free and cause havoc to the world once more, she couldn't. She was created for that sole purpose by the Sixth Sage himself, and Zen was created to assist her in her duty. She looked up into the eyes of her companion who nodded, understanding the situation.

"So lets kill them." The eagerness in Zen's voice made Usagi shiver. She understood that Zen deep down was a beast that basked in darkness, but unnecessary bloodshed never sat well with her.

"You make it sound so easy." Usagi responded flatly.

"Isn't it?" He spoke in all seriousness and Usagi felt as if she was being burned by her partner's confidence and bloodlust.

"They are an organization of deadly S-class criminals!" Zen appeared unfazed by her warnings which only proceeded to piss Usagi off.

"Don't underestimate them." She spoke darkly and glared daggers at man.

"Don't underestimate me." Zen was angered by how little she thought of him, he wasn't a push over, he was practically a god. The heated glaring contest lasted nearly five minutes, but was broken off when Usagi spoke.

"Maybe we could get help from Konohagakure?" The prospect made Usagi's eyes bright with excitement. Hearing the name of the village made Zen's mind flash back to the faces of the to men he confronted there. The men seemed so important to Usagi and the thought of seeking help from them repulsed Zen and made him burn with jealousy.

"No!" Zen yelled, his voice burning with anger and hatred. He turned a moved to exit the room and leave a stunned Usagi.

"W-What? Where are you going?" Usagi stuttered in her confusion.

"I'm going to go kill the Akatsuki!" Zen turned, his expression was nothing short of animalistic and Usagi could clearly she his inner beast shinning through. He was so blinded by rage that he was unable to see the horrified expression that was plaster on his partner's face and then he was gone.

She had to stop him, he didn't know what he was getting himself into so she immediately followed as bad feeling began to sink into her stomach.

* * *

It didn't take Zen long to shift into he true from and locate his enemies, he was able to locate two of the akatsuki ninja ninja lurking in the darkness of the night sky. He smiled to himself.

It's not hard to be surprised when black dragon descends from the heavens to confront you, but Itachi Uchiha's face remained as stoic as ever, Kisame's jaw practically hit the floor. They were searching for a white haired beauty that had fooled them and infiltrated the akatsuki, they however did not expect a black demon of the night to find them.

"Well, look what we have here my first two victims," The voice the echoed from the dragons throat was beastly and inhuman. Itachi did not take threats lightly and he quickly poised himself for battle. Kisame instantly followed his partners lead drawing samehada from his back and position himself for attack.

* * *

Usagi had no trouble finding the heated battle between two nuke ninja and a monster, it was hard to miss even under a new moon when her powers were at their weakest. She landed gracefully on a tree and inspected the battle, Itachi and Kisame's combined mind and strength were started to push back Zen's wild erratic attacks. He clearly was using his head, not to mention the sun was coming up and he wouldn't be able to stay his his strongest form for long. She had to intervene.

Itachi had noticed a familiar presence watching them near by but when he looked over to it with the corner of his eye he saw nothing and the presence vanished, only to reappear in the clearing. Everyone froze when Usagi landed in the middle of the battlefield. Zen was shocked, Kisame was stunned, and Itachi was happy? For some strange reason the sight of his current target filled him with an odd sense of joy, not that he would show it, her presence just made it more necessary to win this battle and capture the pale woman that deceived him.

The two Akatsuki members instantly tensed when Usagi turned from them to approach their dangerous opponent. For some reason they felt oddly protective of the girl.

"What are you doing here." Zen roared at her.

"I could ask you the same question!" Usagi shouted right back, clearly not afraid of the giant monster that faced her. After all, she knew Zen would never harm her.

"Let's go home." Her throat was tight and her words came out as a whisper. Zen couldn't argue with her, he was tired from fighting, and her words of concern made him happy. He sifted back to his human form so he could take her up in his arms. Usagi was completely surprised by this and couldn't help but let out a small whimper when Zen suddenly folded her in a tight embrace.

By now Itachi and Kisame were utterly dumbfounded, and when dragon man captured the white angel in his arms they had a hard time surpressing their anger.

"Zen… I can't breath," Usagi's word weren't exactly true but she felt very uncomfortable in Zen's arms while being stared at by two enemy ninja. Upon hearing Usagi's plea, Kisame and Itachi moved into action. Itachi was able to pry the girl from Zen's hold while Kisame sent the man flying with a hard push kick to the gut._ What just happened? _Usagi was racing with confusion as to how she was suddenly pushed against Itachi's chest. Usagi was now being carried away bridal style by Itachi with Kisame following up the rear. It took Usagi a moment to process what was happening as she was being carried through a thicket of trees.

"L-Let go!" Usagi proceeded to twist, turn, and kick in the Uchiha's grip causing the man to lose hold of her. She would have broken something falling from such a height, but her ninja reflexes allowed her to land, unharmed, on her feet like a cat. The two akatsuki members landed about ten feet away on either side of her and she was starting to feel like she was stuck in between a rock and a hard place.

"You're coming with us girly, or should I say kitty cat." Kisame spoke and shined an intimidating toothy grim in her direction. By now, Zen was promptly infuriated and had reached the three, He swung his dark katana in hopes of cutting the shark man in half, but Kisame was no weakling and instinctively blocked the sword with his samehada.

What bothered Kisame was that samehada was unable absorb the golden eyed man's chakra, like he didn't have any.

"Let's settle this with swords," Kisame grined at the dark haired enemy. Itachi took this moment to seized Usagi from behind which caused a low growl to rumble out of Zen's throat.

"If you win we'll withdraw, but if I win the girl comes with us." Kisame brought Zen's attention back to him. Zen agreed knowing this was the best possible scenario, he knew he didn't have the strength to take on both of them during the day, but if he could secure Usagi by defeating one of them, they could retreat back to the spirit world.

The ongoing sword battle was intense, Kisame was clearly stronger, but Zen's speed gave him an edge. Unfortunately, Zen was getting slower as the sun rose in the sky. Usagi wanted nothing more then to interfere and save Zen but Itachi wouldn't allow it and Usagi didn't have the strength to fight him during the day and under an invisible new moon. Her attention was quickly draw back to the fight when Kisame slashed Zen across the chest with samehada, the wound was deep and he was losing a lot of blood. Usagi knew he couldn't win this fight and struggled in the Uchiha's hold. Zen had to pause to cough up blood and when he moved to dodge Kisame's strike, he fell into Kisame's trap. The shark man had predicted the dodge and quickly change the motion of his slash into a stab using his left hand to push the handle forward. Samehada ripped clear through Zen's torso and was ripped out just as quickly, leaving a gapping whole in Zen chest. Zen found that he could no longer stand and fell backwards landing hard on the ground. Usagi's mind was going into hysterics at the sight of her fallen comrade. She pushed away from Itachi to run to him and he let her go. For Zen everything was going dark quickly, but he forced himself to remain conscious when he saw Usagi's crying face above him.

"Crybaby…" He whispered, cause the girl to frown.

"Shut up." She sobbed, her words made him chuckle which turned into painful coughing.

He used the last of his strength to bring Usagi's head down to his so his lips almost touched her ear and her whispered, "Wait for me, I'll definitely come save you."

Usagi looked back into her friends golden eyes and knew he would come from her when he revived, but it was still painful to watch his eyes close and his heart stop.

"I'll see you soon." Usagi whispered to the corpse. Her words must have been misconstrued because she was quickly removed from Zen's side, tied up, and gagged as to not bite her own tongue. _I didn't mean I was going to kill myself! _She did not appreciate being gagged and thrown over Kisame's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and more than anything she was not looking forward to see the member's of the akatsuki again because she knew they wouldn't be as hospitable this time around.


End file.
